Avanti West Coast have issued a statement addressing the concerns of fans hoping to travel down to London by train for the Manchester Derby FA Cup final.
The train operators face a huge dilemma when it comes to the services on the day of the final (3 June) as thousands of Manchester United and Manchester City fans are expected to travel down for the 90,000-capacity fixture at Wembley Stadium.
While many will be hoping to get coaches down (ideally with extra help from the clubs themselves), trains are literally an indispensable form of public transport when it comes to fans getting to away games, let alone for massive, historic cup ties — it being the first Manchester Derby FA Cup final ever.
That being said, many have taken to social media to ask Avanti if additional and potentially separate services for each set of fans are being considered on the day of the final. However, the company has said that there are currently no additional trains expected and that separate trains aren’t on the cards.
Hi David, as it stands we're not aware of any additional services being run but that may change closer to the time. No, we wouldn't run separate trains for football fans. – Carmen
Avanti have since issued a statement assuring that they are working with both clubs to ensure that fans will be able to get to the FA Cup final with as little drama as possible.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to the MEN, they said: “We are working with our partners and we’ve already been in touch with both clubs with a view to getting information out to fans looking to travel to Wembley by train.
“We expect to be in a position to update all our customers, including fans travelling to the final, in due course with the latest travel advice once our plans have been finalised.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Nevertheless, many are still very reticent to accept that everything will go off without a hitch as Avanti aren’t exactly famous for filling their passengers with confidence. In fact, even the Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, wasted no time in having a dig at their shaky reputation.
All that stands in the way now is Avanti trains. What could possibly go wrong… https://t.co/XtIU4A8sCn
As alluded to, not only will this be the 190th Manchester derby in all competitions but it’s the first-ever in the 152 years since the FA Cup began.
While it’s now United’s only remaining chance for another piece of silverware this season, City are hot on the heels of Arsenal in the Premier League title race; nevertheless, it goes without saying that both teams will be going all-out for this one.
ADVERTISEMENT
It has also been stated that the game will kick off no later than 4:45pm after the Metropolitan Police reiterated it is a high-risk fixture and travelling supporters will need added time to make it home.
Whatever happens on the day itself, for those of you heading down come 3 June, stay safe out there.
Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Manchester City win first Women’s Super League title in a decade
Danny Jones
After a decade of hope and hard work, Manchester City have finally won the Women’s Super League once again in a huge moment for the local club.
Lifting not just their first division title in 10 years, but only their second WSL trophy since the modern female football era began in 2010, it felt like only a matter of time to many supporters.
Ending a six-year Chelsea supremacy, this is also manager Andrée Jeglertz’s first at the helm of Man City’s women’s team, who arrived at the club with a strong silverware record at the start of this season.
These were the scenes at home base as one key result sealed their status as champions:
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) May 6, 2026
City Women secured the WSL title following third-placed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
They even managed to do so with a game to spare and a six-point gap over the west London club, which has won so much over the past few years.
Speaking in an interview with club media after confirmation of the win, captain and Euro 2025-winning Lionesses defender, Alex Greenwood, said: “[It feels] absolutely incredible. “A moment – we as a team, me personally – us as a club has waited so long for”.
“An incredible moment, it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so glad we got to spend this moment together as a group. Just an absolutely incredible feeling.”
With fans watching both at home, along with the first team themselves, the celebrations have already begun as the team shared a look back at how they got here.
You can see the recap posted on social media in full below.
Commenting on his latest accolade, the Swedish head coach added in a full club statement: “There’s never been doubt about the talent in the group, but there is something else about talking about being winners and champions. We started that early, and we believed in that. That’s led us through this year.
“It hasn’t been easy; it’s been hard work every day, but we had a strong belief that we could be sitting here in May and be champions. That is the first thing, and we definitely deserve it.”
Congratulations to the Cityzens on a well-deserved and long-awaited WSL title; could this be the start of another sporting dynasty of dominance over in East Manchester? Only time will tell…
In other news around the Etihad Campus, the women’s, EDS and academy team stadium is also set to host the final of the FA Youth Cup later this month.
Danny Jones -
25th April 2023 
